N.W.T. parents of transgender kids fear Alberta health care changes will make it hard to access care


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

Amanda St. Denis, right, and her husband, Stephen O'Brien, live in the Northwest Territories and have two kids who are both transgender. They are worried about how restrictions on gender-affirming care in Alberta might impact their kids' access to key transgender health services. (Sarah Krymalowski/CBC - image credit)

Parents of transgender children in the Northwest Territories say they are worried policy changes in Alberta will impact their kids' access to gender-affirming care.

The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority is responsible for providing health care for transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming children and youth in the territory. However, most of its health care professionals have limited expertise in transgender health, so patients are often referred to specialists in Alberta.

In an announcement last week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government will ban puberty blockers and hormone therapy for all children 15 and under, and require parental consent for 16-and 17-year-olds who want access to those therapies.

Smith told reporters last Thursday that her government will begin implementing those policies — along with other restrictions on how gender identity is expressed in schools, sporting competitions and sex education — in the fall.

Long wait lists

Yellowknife resident Amanda St. Denis has two transgender kids, aged 9 and 12. St. Denis said she had a "visceral" reaction to the Alberta announcement.

"It's stressful — not only the uncertainty about what health care is going to look like, but the uncertainty about trans rights," St. Denis said.

Her daughter, 12, is scheduled for an appointment with gender-affirming care specialists in Edmonton next month, to get more information on puberty blockers and other supports available.

St. Denis said she contacted the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority soon after Smith announced Alberta's new polices, but as of Sunday afternoon, she still hadn't gotten confirmation that she could go ahead with the appointment as planned.

"The wait lists are years long. This is our first appointment after being referred years ago. So if we have to be transferred to another clinic, what does that mean? Do we have to wait longer to see a specialist?" she said.

The day after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced plans to restrict access to transgender health care services for youth, Northern Mosaic Network executive director Chelsea Thacker, pictured here, said many N.W.T. families reached out to them for answers about how it would impact kids in the territory. (Sarah Krymalowski/CBC)

Northern Mosaic Network executive director Chelsea Thacker said many other families in the territory are facing the same uncertainty. They said the day after Smith announced the new restrictions in Alberta, about 10 families reached out to them for answers and support.

"There is a direct concern for any minors receiving [gender-affirming] care," they said.

"Any referral directly goes to Alberta services. So if they no longer decide that they are going to provide care, even to N.W.T. residents, then we will see a wipe-out of services that are available to families."

No answers yet

The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority was not able to respond to questions from CBC about how restrictions on gender-affirming care in Alberta might impact youth in N.W.T.

In an emailed response Friday afternoon, spokesperson Krystal Pidborochynski said the health authority was "just learning" about the changes in Alberta gender policy, and said the health authority was working to "assess the impact this may have on access to gender-affirming care for Northwest Territories residents."

CBC North also reached out to the office of Alberta's health minister to ask if the coming restrictions on access to hormone therapy and puberty blockers will apply to youth on medical travel from the N.W.T.

In response, a spokesperson told CBC that Alberta will "engage with stakeholders, including our counterparts in the Northwest Territories, to determine exactly how these policies will be implemented."

Despite the uncertainty, St. Denis said she is committed to making sure her daughter gets a gender-affirming care plan.

"Getting at answers initially is our priority, and then just going one step at a time to see what happens and deal with it as it comes," she said.

TORIES OPPOSE LGBTQ RIGHTS, SURPRISE

Pierre Poilievre defends Alberta Premier Smith on transgender policies

Conservative leader says Trudeau should 'let parents raise kids and let provinces run schools and hospitals'

CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024 

Federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre speaks about his car theft policy during a news conference at the Port of Montreal on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz


Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre defended Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her approach to transgender issues Tuesday, saying the Liberal government and the media have demonized her for policies that would give parents more say over their kids.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on car theft in Montreal, Poilievre said the Liberal government is "spreading disinformation" about what Smith has proposed.

"If you keep it vague and you actually refrain from describing the policies Premier Smith is putting in place, you think you can misrepresent them and misrepresent conservatives," he said.

"This is exactly what Justin Trudeau has done. You notice Trudeau has not given a single example of any of the policies that Premier Smith has brought forward that he individually disagrees with because he doesn't want to be specific about it. He and you want to peddle disinformation in order to demonize Premier Smith and parents," Poilievre added, addressing his comments to the reporter who asked the question.

Danielle Smith, Liberals trade shots over transgender policies during her trip to Ottawa

Transgender allies gather in Calgary and Edmonton to rally against proposed government policies

Poilievre said Trudeau and his ministers need to "butt out."

"He should let parents raise kids and let provinces run schools and hospitals," he said.

When asked by a reporter if the policies could actually limit the rights of parents who support their child's pursuit of a gender transition, Poilievre said, "No."






Trudeau last week condemned what he called Smith's "anti-LGBT policies" and said such actions will worsen mental health issues and suicidal ideation among young people struggling with gender dysphoria.

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, a gay man, has been more specific about what the Liberal government opposes.

Referring to proposed policies that would demand that Alberta trans kids aged 15 and under get parental consent to use their preferred names and pronouns in school, Boissonnault said Monday that Smith is intent on "forcing kids out of the closet before many of them are ready."

He said a child shouldn't be forced to reveal their gender identity to an unsupportive parent.

"By mandating that schools force kids out of the closet before many of them are ready, she's taking away the safe space for some young people," Boissonnault said.

"To ban young LGBTQ2 kids from being who they are puts lives at risk."



Poilievre suggested that the federal government and the media are shying away from talking about Smith's other policies, which deal with sensitive medical decisions that have become a lightning rod for debate in Canada and south of the border.

Smith is promising a ban on so-called "top" and "bottom" surgeries for minors aged 17 and under, a practice that's very rare in Canada because it goes against the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH)'s standards of care.

Smith also wants to restrict puberty blockers and hormone therapy for children 15 and under.

The premier has pitched these policies as a way to protect young people who may come to regret having made life-altering decisions in haste.

Smith is also trying to keep trans women and girls out of women's sports, a policy she said is motivated by safety and fairness.

LGBTQ groups, trans advocates and Alberta's medical association, among many others, have condemned the policies as an infringement on trans people's constitutional rights.

Alberta NDP MP Blake Desjarlais, who is two-spirit, said Smith is "denying trans kids their basic human rights" and restricting their access to "life-saving health care."

Desjarlais blasted Poilievre and the Conservatives for their stance on the issue. He also urged the federal government to use its powers under the Canada Health Act to withhold health-care funding from Alberta if the province denies access to these services.

Some health-care providers also maintain that limiting blockers and hormones could have consequences for young people suffering from dysphoria.

"This is a direct attack on trans youth," said Dr. Ted Jablonski, a Calgary family physician who specializes in transgender care. "This is an assault on their medical care.

"There's no medical evidence to make any kind of restrictions. We have very good guidelines to manage trans youth."

The Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) has said that "gender-affirming medical interventions may be an important component of comprehensive care" for some transgender or gender-diverse adolescents.

The CPS, citing past scientific research, has said access to puberty blockers "has been associated with lower odds of suicidal ideation over the life course."

It has said these drugs should not be prescribed before the onset of puberty for medical reasons but also because the puberty process is "an important experience through which young people may develop clearer understanding of their gender identity."

The CPS says gender-affirming hormone therapy, which it says produces reversible and irreversible changes, should also only be provided to young people who "demonstrate the capacity to understand and appreciate both the benefits and risks of these medications, given their profound effects."

Pod of at least 10 killer whales appears trapped by sea ice in Japan

Mayumi Maruyama, Lucas Lilieholm and Jerome Taylor, CNN
Tue, February 6, 2024 



A pod of at least 10 killer whales appears to be trapped by sea ice off Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, public broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday.

Officials from the coastal town of Rausu said they have no way to rescue the orcas, which were first spotted by a local fisherman, NHK reported.

“We have no choice but to wait for the ice to break up and for them to escape that way,” a Rausu official told NHK.

A local fisherman contacted the Rausu Coast Guard Station on Tuesday morning to report seeing a killer whale stuck by the ice drift not far from the shore, NHK reported citing the local coast guard.

Drone footage shared Tuesday by a local wildlife organization, Wildlife Pro LLC, shows the whales struggling in a small gap between ice flows. The organization said it encountered the whales while doing marine research, according to a statement on Facebook.

“I saw about 13 killer whales with their heads sticking out of a hole in the ice,” a Wildlife Pro LLC employee, who filmed the video, told NHK. “They seemed to be struggling to breathe, and it looked like they included three or four calves.”

A lack of wind in the area has meant the ice trapping the orcas has remained stagnant.

Sea ice hugs the coast of Hokkaido every winter, and is the lowest latitude sea ice in the world, but over recent years levels have been declining as global warming accelerates.

In 2005, a group of killer whales were also trapped in drift ice off the coast of the town and later died, according to NHK, citing Rausu town officials.

CNN’s Laura Paddison contributed reporting.

B.C. Housing seeks massive expansion of East Vancouver social housing project


CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024

B.C. Housing says the buildings at Skeena Terrace in East Vancouver are approaching 'the end of their economic life cycle.' (Shawn Foss/CBC - image credit)

One of the largest and oldest social housing projects in Vancouver may soon become much larger — and much newer.

City council's Tuesday agenda includes a proposal to redevelop the Skeena Terrace social housing project near Rupert Street and East Broadway.

B.C. Housing owns the site, which currently has 230 subsidized housing units in 20 apartment and townhouse buildings built over 60 years ago. About 600 people live on the hillside site, which is visible to drivers coming to and from Burnaby on Lougheed Highway.

The housing corporation has been seeking for several years to expand the site to 1,928 social housing units in 15 buildings four to 36 storeys high.

An artist's vision of how the new site is planned to appear taken from the B.C. Housing application. Lougheed Highway is the curved, large road at the drawing's top and right.

An artist's vision of the new site, as shown in B.C. Housing's application. Lougheed Highway is the curved, large road at the drawing's top and right. (Shawn Foss/CBC)

"The buildings and infrastructure at Skeena Terrace were built in the 1960s and need extensive and ongoing repairs," the B.C. Housing application to council states.

"As they are nearing the end of their economic life cycle, and with the city in dire need for more affordable housing, the redevelopment of Skeena Terrace as a large transit-oriented site is an excellent opportunity to meet that need.

"Skeena Terrace redevelopment provides a significant opportunity to increase the number of secured rental homes, particularly for low and moderate-income households."

City staff are recommending the project proceed to a public hearing in the spring.

"This rezoning application represents a significant delivery of affordable, publicly-owned housing for the city," the city's general manger of planning wrote, adding the project is "envisioned as a complete community in close proximity to rapid transit, providing housing, shops, services and community amenities."

Several playgrounds are on site at Skeena Terrace. The redevelopment calls for a daycare to be built on the grounds. A person walks by one of several playgrounds at Skeena Terrace. The redevelopment plan includes a daycare on site. (Shawn Foss/CBC)

Long-time resident excited about changes

B.C. Housing promises no one currently living at the complex will be unhoused because of the redevelopment.

A spokesperson said in an email that monthly meetings have been held with residents and existing tenants will get their first choice of new units without a rent increase "unless their income or unit size has changed in the interim."

Long-time resident Roberta Scherger is excited about the redevelopment. She says she's grateful to be living in social housing — "I could not afford rents out there," she said — but after about 30 years at Skeena Place, the buildings are showing their age.

Roberta Scherger says she's been happy living at Skeena Terrace but the buildings are showing their age. (Shawn Foss/CBC)

"Sometimes … like in the very, very bad winters we have, it's cold in my room," Scherger said, adding that B.C. Housing has been quick to fix problems.

She's optimistic about the new Skeena Place development, however, and is glad about commitments to keep the community together.

"A lot more people will have homes, which is great," she said. There'll be daycare … just more space for us, more garden space, more walking space, more safe space."

B.C. Housing says the project will be built in phases and has tentatively planned for a 2024 start.

A public hearing, if council approves, is expected for the spring.

CBC/Radio-Canada launches new effort to improve representation of Indigenous peoples


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

CBC/Radio-Canada is aiming to improve its representation of Indigenous peoples with a new three-year strategy, revealed Monday. (Evan Mitsui/CBC - image credit)

CBC/Radio-Canada unveiled a new three-year plan on Monday to improve its employment and representation of Indigenous peoples, which includes the establishment of a new Indigenous office to oversee those efforts.

The launch of the public broadcaster's first national Indigenous strategy was made at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

"Our aim is to better reflect, respect and amplify diverse Indigenous perspectives across the public broadcaster," Robert Doane, a Gitxsan journalist and the strategy's new senior director, said in a statement.

Doane says the goal of is to build on CBC/Radio-Canada's connection with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, which he said goes back to the launch of CBC North's radio service in 1958.

"So although we're launching our first-ever strategy today, we're building on a legacy of decades of programs and services," he said.

Doane wouldn't comment on the broadcaster's financial commitment to the strategy, or whether it was affected by recent budget constraints. CBC/Radio-Canada said late last year it will cut some 10 per cent of its workforce because of a potential $125 million budget shortfall. Those layoffs are underway.

"What I can say is that we're committed to better reflecting and serving First Nations, Inuit and Metis, no matter what challenges we're facing," he said.

WATCH | Launch of the CBC/Radio-Canada National Indigenous Strategy:

CBC/Radio-Canada has faced criticism for under-representing Indigenous voices in the past, including in June 2020 when Christine Genier, then-host of CBC's Yukon Morning radio show, resigned in protest, saying the broadcaster's journalistic standards and practices make it difficult for her to speak out as an Indigenous woman.

Cathy Merrick, the grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said, in general, First Nations stories "have been told and retold repeatedly without our consent, using a language that actively displaces First Nations from claiming ownership of our lived experiences."

It's time for that to change, she said Monday. "Our people will be included — and we will tell our stories, and we will tell the truth about our people."

David Beaudin, the minister of agriculture with the Manitoba Métis Federation, said it's about time the diverse Indigenous communities have "real and true partners" who work with them to share their stories, so that they may be included and remembered.

"Our children need to see themselves represented on television, both in journalistic roles and in the entertainment and educational content — and yes, we need to see ourselves represented in senior leadership roles in CBC," he said at the strategy's announcement.

Robert Doane, shown here at an engagement session in Saskatoon, is CBC's Indigenous adviser. Robert Doane is the strategy's new senior director. Previously, he was the national public broadcaster's Indigenous adviser. 

(Submitted by Robert Doane)

According to CBC spokesperson Leon Mar, the strategy will start by getting an accurate measure of CBC/Radio-Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Métis workforce.

After that, they'll set "meaningful, realistic targets that we can validate each year," he said in an email, aiming to create opportunities for all First Nation, Inuit and Métis.

The broadcaster will also commission a study of its past coverage to better understand its representation of those peoples.

Changes may not be seen overnight, Doane said. But eventually, it's hoped "listeners will see more Indigenous content that is more representative of First Nations, Inuit and Métis realities, in all their diversity," he said in his statement.

"It's the beginning of a national commitment — a new journey of understanding to help clear a path for more First Nations, Inuit and Métis to connect and work with us, and better reflect, respect and amplify diverse Indigenous perspectives across the public broadcaster," he said.

Catherine Tait, president and CEO of the broadcaster, says the strategy provides a framework to amplify the voices of Indigenous communities and its employees.

"It is a moment of enormous pride for all of us at the public broadcaster, and I truly hope that it will pave the way to strengthening relationships while we walk together," she said.

An annual report is to be released, with input from staff and viewers, tracking CBC's progress.

People living with homelessness, disabilities hit hard by weekend storm in Nova Scotia


CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024 

A woman makes her way on Charlotte Street in Sydney, N.S., after a heavy snowstorm over the weekend. (Tom Ayers/CBC - image credit)

While other residents of Cape Breton hunkered down to ride out the weekend snowstorm, Tanya Ellsworth huddled in a tent with her boyfriend and cat with only candles to help keep the cold winds at bay.

Speaking on CBC Radio's Information Morning Cape Breton, Ellsworth said she has been living in a tent on an access road in the woods in Sydney since September.

Ellsworth said during the storm she had to go to the store to get food and it took her three hours to walk to the main road,

"I was going to go down to the Ally Centre, actually, but I have no way to get the cat out to the main road," she said. "I wouldn't leave her, you know."

According to Ellsworth the snow outside her tent was up to her shoulder.

Even if she had wanted to stay in a municipal shelter during the storm it may not have been possible.

Most places in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality normally used for shelters were not accessible because of the heavy snowfall and there were no volunteers to help people, Bruce MacDonald, CBRM's manager of emergency management, told Information Morning Cape Breton.

Isolated by storm

Like many vulnerable people, the historic storm presented Ellsworth with challenges that many other people do not face during severe weather events.

It's a situation that Stephen Wilsack saw firsthand this during the storm,

Wilsack is co-founder of Sleep On It, which provides supplies to people living in tents. He spent the weekend at the tent encampment at Grand Parade in Halifax.

Matthew Grant and Stephen Wilsack are handing out mattress pads and other supplies at tent encampments around Halifax through a project they've dubbed Sleep On It. Matthew Grant, left, and Stephen Wilsack help people at tent encampments around Halifax through a project they've dubbed Sleep On It. (Taryn Grant/CBC)

Residents of the encampment were cold and frustrated during the storm, Wilsack told CBC Radio's As it Happens.

He said many people were without medicine, some were without food and many had a tough time getting to the outhouses during the storm.

Emotional distress

Wilsack said some people at the encampment were suffering extreme emotional distress over the weekend.

"We're here, and we want to make sure that people from Nova Scotia that are vulnerable are protected," Wilsack said.

"But it wears on you, and we just need help. And we all need help in order to make this go away."

People who are experiencing homelessness or food insecurity still need assistance during severe weather events, said Michelle Porter, the co-founder of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. The organization operates centres in Halifax, Bridgewater, Sackville and Truro, with plans to open another in North Sydney by summer.

Michelle Porter is the CEO of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, an organization she co-founded with her husband (Michelle Porter)

Porter said on Saturday, in the midst of the storm, dozens of people showed up at the mission's Cunard Street centre in Halifax for a hot meal.

"It did surprise me that 30 people showed up for lunch on Saturday at Souls Harbour," Porter said. "It just shows you that the needs are are very prevalent."

The Souls Harbour warming centre in Bridgewater was also operating during the storm, she said.

Porter said her organization doesn't have an outreach program that could navigate the streets during the storm. She said that means a lot of people would have gone hungry for up to two days.

HRM registry for vulnerable residents

Following post-tropical storm Fiona, the Halifax Regional Municipality set up the voluntary vulnerable persons registry.

The registry collects information from people in the community to help support those with disabilities, mobility problems, cognitive impairment or mental illnesses during extreme weather and other crises.

Gerry Post, a community advocate for people with disabilities, speaks with CBC on March 31, 2021. CBC)

Gerry Post, an accessibility advocate, told Mainstreet Nova Scotia on Monday this was the first major test of the registry and he was amazed by how many messages he received during the storm checking on his welfare.

Post, who uses a wheelchair, said he has been meeting with provincial officials to encourage other municipalities to get registry systems.

"I would like to see sort of common standards on this so that there can be interoperability between the various municipalities," Post said.

"So that we have a whole federation of these municipal systems because they must be operated locally, but they should be linked together in case there is a massive emergency."

Speaking at a Monday news conference, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said municipalities and communities have a better understanding about residents' needs.

Houston said friends and neighbours looking out for each other were the province's "first line of defence" during times of crisis.

Manitoba woman devastated over delay in MAID for mental illness

medical assistance in dying (MAID)


CBC
Sun, February 4, 2024 

Cathy Van Buskirk says she is heartbroken by the federal government's delay on medical assistance in dying because of mental illness. 

(Submitted by Cathy Van Buskirk - image credit)

Cathy Van Buskirk, who lives with complex and debilitating mental disorders, says she is heartbroken by the federal government's decision to delay her ability to access a medically assisted death.

Eligibility for medical assistance in dying (MAID) was set to expand in March to include people with mental illness, something that had given Van Buskirk hope that her suffering from severe mental illness would come to a peaceful end on her terms.

But federal Health Minister Mark Holland introduced legislation Thursday that would delay the expansion of MAID to include those suffering solely from mental illness until 2027, a move he said was needed until Canada's health-care system is ready to implement the expansion.

Van Buskirk says the delay is exclusionary and stigmatizes an already vulnerable population.

"The government's making it even worse by not recognizing and not including us," she said. "My illness causes me grievous amounts of pain and suffering, just as someone who would suffer a physical one."

The 56-year-old Brandon resident says all treatments she has tried over several years have failed to end the suffering created by body dysmorphia, OCD, depression and anxiety. Van Buskirk says MAID would allow her to die on her terms and end the pain she lives with every day.

Holland says the decision to delay the expansion until after the next federal election has nothing to do with electoral politics, but was made to ensure the health-care system is ready and people are properly trained.

This comes after recommendations from a parliamentary committee warning Canada's health system is not ready to allow MAID for people with only a mental illness because there's too much work to do before the legislation is set to expand.

Medical accessibility

Van Buskirk says she has had tremendous health care to support her mental disorders. For 20 years medications helped her. But she says treatments stopped working for her five years ago.

She has had 12 shock treatments, 12 ketamine infusions, cognitive behaviour therapy, numerous counselling sessions, exposure therapy, a week in a psychiatric ward and other treatments to try to treat her mental disorders.

"Your brain is a part of your anatomy, and it's my brain that's sick," Van Buskirk said, adding her brain doesn't make serotonin anymore — the chemical that people need to feel happy.

She says she now finds it hard to leave the house and no longer enjoys the things she once loved like reading, gardening, travelling and praying.

Van Buskirk says she has attempted suicide three times, traumatizing both her and her family.

"I feel … profound sense of loss and sadness every day of my life. Nothing brings me joy or happiness or peace," she said.

Dr. Jitender Sareen, medical director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority mental health program, says new treatment beds and mobile clinical support services are an important step in dealing with the growing meth problem in the city. Dr. Jitender Sareen, medical director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority mental health program, says MAID for mental illness needs to be deferred indefinitely. 

(Megan Goddard/Radio-Canada)

Dr. Jitender Sareen, head of the University of Manitoba's psychiatry department and medical director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's mental health program, says in his field there is a lot of concern about the expansion of MAID.

He was one of the psychiatry chairs to call for an indefinite pause for MAID for mental illness because there is no scientific evidence to help guide MAID decisions when it comes to mental health and addictions. He says this also affects how potential safeguards could be put in place.

"It becomes a challenge to say … especially for mental illness, who's going to get better and who's not," Sareen said.

He said that has been the challenge with this legislation — setting an arbitrary deadline for a procedure for someone who's not dying — because it still requires more evidence and assurances that it's safe.

Sareen expects it will take more than three years for the appropriate clinical standards to be in place.

"The distress of the majority of psychiatrists and mental-health professionals in this area is to say the person wants MAID [but] doesn't mean that they should have access to MAID because they want it," he said.

What's needed in Canada, Sareen says, is greater investment in mental health and addiction services. He compares it to a new cancer drug — mental health treatments should be available to anyone who needs it.

"There is such an inequity in access to mental health addiction services, especially for our rural and First Nations communities, and this disparity would get even worse," he said. "We have not been spending enough energy and time on helping, having these cross-provincial, federal, community dialogues on how do we make psychotherapy available, how do we make equitable access to addictions care."

A Shared Health Spokesperson says when MAID came into effect in June 2016, the province saw 36 written requests for the service and 24 deaths. In 2023, that number had grown to 366 requests and 236 deaths.

The spokesperson noted there are more MAID approvals each year than MAID deaths — mainly due to voluntarily withdrawn requests or individuals dying before receiving MAID.

Health Canada reported 13,241 people received medically assisted deaths in 2022 — a 31.2 per cent jump over 2021.

It said 44,958 people have received medically assisted deaths since the introduction of federal legislation in 2016.

Broader mental health strategy needed

Neil McArthur, director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba said while MAID could be a tool in easing suffering, it should be part just one part of a broader discussion and strategy around how people with mental illness are treated.

McArthur says the situation is difficult to balance from an ethical standpoint. He says people have a right to bodily autonomy, and how they live their lives — therefore they have a right to decide how to end their lives.

But he says mental illness can affect someone's autonomy — the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision.

"That's not to say people with mental illness lose their capacity for decision making," said McArthur.

"But it does affect how they view the future and how they view their lives."

Neil McArthur, director of the Centre for Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, says Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries is not fulfilling its moral and legal responsibilities.
Neil McArthur, director of the Centre for Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, says MAID needs to be part of a broader mental health strategy in Canada. 

(Tyson Koschik/CBC)

He said MAID for people with mental illness shouldn't be seen as an "easy way out," or a "cheaper way out" for society.

"It absolutely needs to be part of a broader system where we care for people with mental health issues and we are not doing that right now. We are failing right now," he said.

"I personally do believe that people should in cases of grievous mental suffering have access to MAID. But it cannot happen until we have a better system for supporting them and helping them get better."

He said clear rules are needed on who qualifies for MAID, and who gets to say who qualifies for MAID — and he understands why people are frustrated by the "endless delays" in producing a comprehensive mental health strategy.

"They have to make progress on this. They can't keep pushing this and pushing this and pushing this and saying well we need safeguards, well we need safeguards. Well you've had years now," he said.

Van Buskirk says she has worked with many health-care professionals to address her mental disorders, and has gone through several screening processes in her choice to pursue MAID.

She does not want to put her family through the trauma of her death by suicide, but now she feels like she's out of options.

"The pain and the suffering that we go through is … just as debilitating as physical pain," Van Buskirk said. "I could die at peace with my family by my side … just like any other Canadian who has a serious illness."

BC
'See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' culture of Catholic Church challenged at sex abuse trial


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

In 2020, the Catholic Church acknowledged that Father John Kilty had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children at Holy Trinity elementary school. His actions are the subject of a B.C. Supreme Court trial. (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver - image credit)

WARNING: This story contains disturbing details.

Nearly 50 years after his first day at North Vancouver's Holy Trinity elementary school, "John Doe" still recalls with pride the buckle shoes he wore as part of a uniform that included a red sweater, white shirt and blue pants.

He was six years old. And it was to be a year of memories Doe has spent a lifetime trying to shake — his father's death, the sudden switch to a Catholic school, and his rape there by a physical education teacher and the priest who governed Holy Trinity's operations.

Five decades later, the 55-year-old — whose real name is protected by a publication ban — took the stand in a B.C. Supreme courtroom in New Westminster in a bid to hold the Catholic Church accountable for the actions of Ray Clavin and Father John Kilty.

"It felt very safe. Like something that was missing from my life," Doe said Monday as he described his initial impressions of Kilty — a man who lived next door to the school.

Children used to go to Kilty's home at recess. He let them watch him shave. Doe sat in his lap.

"I was extremely fond of him," Doe said. "I loved Father Kilty."

'Kilty ruled over the parish'

During the next four weeks, Doe hopes to convince a judge that the Catholic Church should be held directly liable for the lifetime of suffering Doe claims he has experienced as a result of Clavin and Kilty's abuse.

The civil trial is unique. The Catholic Church — represented in the proceedings as a legal entity called the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver — has admitted that the abuse happened and accepted vicarious liability.

Father John Kilty was pastor at Holy Trinity Parish in North Vancouver at the time of the alleged abuse. (Google Maps)

But the church denies that it was negligent.

As Doe's lawyer, Sandy Kovacs, explained in her opening statement, Doe wants Justice Catherine Murray to view him as a "public interest enforcer" — inviting punitive damages against the church for enabling abuse through an ingrained culture that empowered pedophiles.

"Kilty ruled over the parish. Parishioners and teaching staff were submissive to his power and authority," Kovacs told the judge.

"You will hear that [John Doe] was not Kilty's only victim."

'It's terrifying in such a dumbfounding way'

A little more than a dozen people packed onto two wooden benches in a fourth floor courtroom to watch Doe take the stand as the trial's first witness.

He told Kovacs he lost six pounds to stress last week. He said his body temperature was up and down. He sat down, then stood up, complaining of confinement. He said he had an "unscratchable itch" on his leg; he kept leaning over to scratch it all the same.

CBC’s The Fifth Estate obtained information about a review of known historical cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. John Doe wants the Catholic Church held directly liable for abuse that occurred as a result of what he claims was a culture that enabled men like Father John Kilty. (Getty)

His memories were fragmentary. Doe said years of therapy had brought him to this moment: "I'm no longer disgusted by how disgusted I am with myself."

He described Kilty's abuse during a sleepover in the house next to the school. It was a school night. Kilty invited the boy into his bed. Doe recalled seeing a jar of vaseline.

"I don't want him to not like me," he said. "I'm trying, but my body's completely refusing this."

Asked about Clavin's abuse, he remembered the gym teacher shouting at him in a basement. He recalled being in a room without his clothes. And later floating away from his body to watch as Clavin lay on top of him.

"It's terrifying in such a dumbfounding way," he said. "To the point of the absurd."

'The problem continues'

According to a statement of claim filed in advance of the trial, Clavin was convicted of two counts of sexual assault in the 1990s. Kovacs said his whereabouts today are unknown.

The court documents say that in 2020, the church also acknowledged that Kilty was "credibly accused of historical clergy sexual abuse."

Kilty died in 1983. Two decades later, the first of several victims stepped forward.

Kovacs said she expects to call a man who was abused by Kilty in 1967 as a witness.

"He will speak to his observations of the teachers and nuns' behaviour around Father Kilty, and what he describes as a culture of 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,'" she said.

The trial is also expected to hear testimony from the bishops of Saskatoon and Prince George, both of whom Kovacs said had been altar boys at Holy Trinity and would bear witness to the relationship between Kilty and Clavin.

Kovacs also said she plans to call expert witnesses to testify about institutional sexual abuse — and particularly abuse within the Catholic Church.

She said one of those witnesses, Thomas Doyle, is a Roman Catholic priest who served with the Vatican embassy in Washington during the 1980s.

"He will tell you that Kilty's and Clavin's abuse of children was no anomaly," Kovacs told the judge.

"Despite countless pronouncements, explanations, assurances, and apologies by the institutional church throughout the world, the problem continues — and the welfare of victims does not appear to be a major concern."

In a response to Doe's claim, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver has denied direct liability for Kilty and Clavin's abuse, saying there was no "operational culture" enabling the men to sexually assault children at the school.

Even if such a culture had existed, the church says it "denies that it was complicit in it or otherwise acted negligently as alleged or at all."

Graphic novel from Homalco First Nation aims to spark youth interest in traditional teachings


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

A sample from a graphic novel in the works that's based on stories from Homalco First Nation. (Submitted by Tchadas Leo - image credit)

In the middle of winter a young man is sent by his father to bathe in the river as part of a practice he is meant to complete every morning for one year as he comes of age.

This is just one of the stories depicted in a new graphic novel made by the Homalco First Nation, whose traditional territory stretches across Bute Inlet on the British Columbia coast about 200 kilometres north of Vancouver.

Alina Pete, who is from Little Pine First Nation in Saskatchewan but lives in Surrey, B.C., is writing and illustrating this story for the graphic novel that is meant to pass down traditional knowledge from Homalco elders.

"I think it's absolutely one of the best ways to reach out to people," said Pete.

"It's been an amazing opportunity."

The stories are based on recordings of Homalco First Nations elders made in the '90s that were used in a podcast series. Pete and two other Indigenous artists, Valen Onstine and Gord Hill, were asked to take those stories and transfer them to the page.

The artists went to Bute Inlet last year along with some community elders to see the landscapes they would be illustrating in the novel and ask questions.

"Coming into someone else's community and then being tasked with representing them in a really good, authentic, honest way was like a big responsibility," said Pete.

Alina Pete in the middle showing a picture she drew while on a trip to Bute Inlet, B.C. (Submitted by Tchadas Leo)

Tchadas Leo, project manager for the graphic novel, also worked on the podcast the stories were used in. The graphic novel is being funded by Education Without Borders, a charity that supports educational opportunities for children in Canada and South Africa, which also funded the podcast.

"The vision for it is definitely for the youth, that's the main goal," said Leo, a member of the Homalco First Nation and Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians in Washington State.

The graphic novel does not yet have a title and is expected to be finished by the summer. Leo said they have budgeted to have several hundred copies printed and it will be left up to the Homalco First Nation to decide how it will be distributed.

Homalco Chief Darren Blaney said the book will be used in places like the community daycare.

"We're working hard to try to get the young people to connect back to the stories and the language and start to take an interest," said Blaney.

A sample of work from a graphic novel based on stories from the Homalco First Nation. (Submitted by Tchadas Leo)

Blaney was also on the boat trip up the Bute Inlet with the artists. He said there are many more locations where traditional stories take place that aren't able to be shared in this book.

"It's bringing that connection to the stories, connection to the territory and and the teaching, so it's reversing what residential school did," said Blaney.

"That's the exciting part of it."

N.B. farmers hope below-average snowfall will be enough to protect fruit crops


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

New Brunswick is seeing lower than average snowfall totals, which could impact production for fruit farmers. (CBC / Radio-Canada - image credit)

While many New Brunswickers might be pleased to have less snow to shovel this winter, some fruit farmers are concerned the low accumulation could impact crops.

"Snow cover for us would be an extra layer of protection," said Arick Streatch, who owns Sunberry Cranberry Producers in Maugerville. "The more snow we can get on our ice the better so when we do go into our melting phases, we don't lose too much."

Several crops in New Brunswick including potatoes, blueberries, apples and cranberries depend on snow for moisture and protection from extreme temperatures. The insulating layer can prevent fruit from drying out and being destroyed.

At Streatch's cranberry farm, the fruit is protected by flooding the bogs to create a thick layer of ice. Snowfall on top of that is an added layer that keeps the ice solid when temperatures rise above freezing.

Snow also allows cranberry farmers to drive on top of the ice to add sand as part of the cultivating process.

Cranberries grow on a vine and water is used several times a year to flood them.
New Brunswick cranberry bogs are flooded as part of the harvesting process. Some producers also add water to create a protective layer of ice during the winter. 

(Alexandre Silberman/CBC)

While accumulation is well below average, Streatch said his cranberry bog currently has eight to 10 inches of snow on top of six to eight inches of ice. He's hopeful more snow will fall in the coming weeks.

"If you've got the snow on and you've got the ice and then we start running into warmer weather, then that begins to melt. And if you get hit with a cold snap that we weren't expecting, then that could be harmful to the crops," he said.

Melting snow

At Belliveau Orchard in Memramcook, a layer of snow is covering the roots of apple trees.

Samuel Bourgeois, owner and chair of Apples NB, said the accumulation works as an "insulator" to protect the trees from damage.

He said there is "pretty good cover" on the ground, but with temperatures above freezing, the snow is melting.

"When the guys are pruning, they don't need any snow shoes, everything is easier to do the work," he said.

Parts of southern New Brunswick, including Moncton, have seen about half of the average snowfall for December and January. (Rhythm Rathi/CBC)

Bourgeois said mild temperatures this winter are having a bit of an impact in the southeast.

"The only downside to this is cold weather eliminates some of the insects, so far it hasn't been very, very cold to eliminate that," he said.

Mild temperatures, little snow

New Brunswick has minimal snow accumulation on the ground compared to historic averages, particularly in southern parts of the province.

"It's probably no surprise, we are definitely below normal so far for December and January," said Jill Maepea, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

"Overall precipitation is below normal, whether it's snow, rain or freezing precipitation."

Maepea said areas in the north have seen near-normal snowfall, while the southern parts of the province have only seen about half as much snow as they normally would.

The province has also seen temperatures two to four degrees above historic averages for December and January, she said.